


cold like the sting of betrayal

by gremlin_rights



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Business Bay, Cold, Exile, Gen, I didn't edit this at all, It's okay though, Light Angst, Out of Character, Secret Santa, idk how to tag, oh my god i know nothing about these characters, please be nice to me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:34:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28240047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gremlin_rights/pseuds/gremlin_rights
Summary: Technoblade, Antarctic Empire, winter, cold, betrayal.There's a lot to think about at night, especially when Tommy can't sleep.He misses the Business Bay.
Relationships: No romance here - Relationship, look away - Relationship
Comments: 32
Kudos: 402
Collections: the writer's block's Secret Santa





	cold like the sting of betrayal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [catboy_ranboo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/catboy_ranboo/gifts).



> I RUSHED THIS SO MUCH I AM SO SORRY!!!! but i hope you enjoy this!!!
> 
> this is so bad and im so bad at dialogue, but it was fun trying something new :000

Christmas time wasn’t always a full time affair, as far as Tommy remembered. The few years with Wilbur, Techno, and Phil quickly revealed to him that even if they were family, they weren’t always there. Phil was always working on a project, Techno always fighting somewhere else, Wilbur busy running a nation and rallying people for his cause. Tommy opened gifts by a vibrant tree, the fireplace and blanket on his shoulders giving him a hug and he tried to believe that they were his family.

It made Tommy miss the days before, when there was no Sleepy Bois. It felt wrong, to miss those days, especially since the Sleepy Bois were people that saw potential in him. But the days before were full of laughter and warmth, smiles and freedom to mess around, smacking sticks around in a well tailored suit and laughing in the face of a god. 

He pulls out the shield from his inventory. Was this okay? Did his loyalty to Techno mean loyalty to the empire that he fought so hard against? 

Tommy traces the logo on the shield with his finger, trying to trace Techno’s intentions in giving it to him. The shield is heavy with more than iron and paint, and he stared at it a little longer.

(Brown eyes turning cold, demanding a suit to be taken off. A duo torn apart, the first crack of betrayal.)

He wants to smash the shield against the floor and beat it until it splinters on his floor and becomes unrecognizable. Until it went to a point that even the more careful and tedious of men would not even dare to put it back together.

Tommy longs for the red tie.

Holding the shield feels wrong, and he shivers. Even if he wants to say that it’s the cold outside, the underground room is warmer than the rooms near the windows. Betrayal stings like the cold, and then it numbs him out after a while. The pain is merely eased in its numbingness, and comes back like a raging fire when the warmth of comfort helps to thaw the cold. 

Tommy wonders if he deserved to miss the red tie. He wonders if the Business Bay would still call themselves that name with pride, and he wonders if they’ll still stand by him and be proud of their leader. He wonders if they will betray him like people like doing, and he wonders if he’s the one that betrayed them. 

Technoblade may be his brother, but he was an emperor before them. Techno was a powerful enemy, and could still be a threat and reveal where Tommy is at any moment. Technoblade’s loyalties lay to anarchy, the Empire, Phil, and Wilbur. They do not lie to Tommy, despite how Tommy’s loyalties latch on and don’t let go. And Tommy cannot let the warm nights by the campfire and the invisible adventures fool him and leave him numb in the cold again. 

But if Techno’s loyalties are for the Empire and Tommy’s loyalties are to Techno, does he stand with the Empire itself in its own twisted way? Is he a hypocrite for thinking of worlds with traitors while being one himself? Does he stand beside and far from a traitor he also once knew?

( Even now, he wants to cross swords with Wisp. Just once, to get it all out. They have both trained under the Blade. )

Tommy does not sob. Instead, he all but shoves the shield into a chest, which is to be hidden away from his sight and hopefully his mind. He does not shatter it, since it’s Techno’s and Techno would probably kill him or punish him just like Dream did.

Then Tommy collapses like a man and cries all his shit out. He’s glad he dug deeper into the ground, hoping the layers of earth muffle his sobs and the single stone block above his ladder does not catch wind of his tears. 

A communicator is clutched tight, and Tommy’s vision blurs. He knows the order of his contact list by heart, with desperate texts and messages accompanying the four top results. They are always left deleted immediately after, but the communicator knows his history. Knows how much he texts each of them to stay at the top.

Deo, Bitzel, Luke… even Wisp.

He wishes for a Christmas miracle, even if Christmas isn’t for a few days now.

Does he dare to message the Business Bay group chat, the contacts? 

Maybe it’s the lack of sleep that causes him to be emotional. Maybe it’s the part that’s tired of him for being so doubtful and so repressive. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s been thinking about them for hours, and even cried about them for one hour.

Maybe it’s all of them. Maybe he just misses them.

He wipes his eyes and takes a deep breath. 

Tommy also takes a chance.

_TommyInnit:_

_MERRY CHRSITRMAS FELLAS!!!!!_ _  
_ _I know it’s been a hiwle since any of us have been in touch or used this chat in a very long time but i figured i might as well get into the Chrisrmas Spirit and reach out  
_ _It’s been a rough few years without you all and i hope you’re doing well  
_ _Really fuckjing hope you still cosnodier yourself part os the bay boys bc i’m wiht the BLADE and shit  
_ _He’s my brother and all but i miss being in the bay  
_ _The dream smp is shit  
_ _I’m exiled  
_ _Dream’s supposed to be my firned but he blew up all my shit or whatever  
_ _But i really i hope you have a good chrstimas  
_ _I miss hearing your voices  
_ _OPEN SOME PRESENT SFOR ME!!1!1!! BIG PRESENTS FOR BIG MEN!!_

Tommy would like to say he has more willpower and discipline to just put down the communicator and wait for the ding of a message notification, but he opts to watch the chat and wait. 

_TimeDeo is typing…_

_TimeDeo:  
_ _i’d say it’s been more than a while tommy  
_ _i’m not missing being part of the bay when i carry you all with me  
_ _in my heart <3 _

Tommy snorts. Okay, Deo. Okay.

_Bitzel is typing…_

_Bitzel:  
_ _If you’ve missed our voices so much, want to call?_

_Several people are typing…_

_TommyInnit and Wispexe are typing…_

_Wispexe:  
_ _oh am i included_

_TommyInnit:  
_ _Yeah a call would be nice  
_ _Even with you, wisp  
_ _I just need a moment_

_TommyInnit started a call._

“Hey boys.” Tommy winces at his defeated and quiet tone, and knows that the others hear it too. He does not see their faces of concern or shock, but likes to imagine them.

There’s a pause. 

“Alright, who are we killing?” Deo and Wisp say at the same time. Tommy chuckles, and is the only one laughing.

“Wait, are you two serious?” His volume grows.

The others just pitch in with a chorus of ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Tommy hums.

Deo audibly shrugs. “Hey, if the Dream SMP is that shit, I think I’m going to have to talk to Dream. It shouldn’t be this bad.”

“No! Dream is my friend… I think. He’s hunting me down and trying to kill me but he’s my friend! And don’t worry about it, I’m with…” he sighs, “... the Blade. Even if I hate him _so_ much right now.” 

“Good thing I quit the Empire a while back, or you’d be my boss twice over huh?” Wisp attempts at a joke. 

“Tommy, that’s totally fine. He’s not just the Blade anymore, even if I still kind of want to punch the Blade’s and Wisp’s lights in,” Bitzel says, “Isn’t he also your brother now?”

“I… yeah. Yeah he is. He’s keeping me safe from Dream.” Tommy sighs.

“Dream is setting off a lot of red flags here for being a friend of yours, Tommy. You mentioned him blowing up your stuff?” Luke sounds concerned. “And exile? Why would they do that?”

“Well, I kind of burned down someone else’s house--”

“So? Why would they leave a big man like you? And you’ve probably done a lot for them, being family with some of them and all. You have to stick together even if you’ve done some arson. If you destroyed one of my builds, I’d smack you. But I wouldn’t exile you.” 

Tommy sighs. “That’s at least four of you that won’t leave. If you agree with Luke anyway.”

“Tommy… that isn’t even a question. We’re here for you. Hell, say the word and I’ll storm the SMP. Watch me.”

“Will you do it as a Christmas present?” 

“Yeah?”

“Deo, I didn’t take you for that kind of man. You want to be my Christmas present?”

“I want to be your-- oh my god Tommy.”

There’s a screeching laugh from Tommy, and the others can’t help but laugh along.

“Merry Christmas, Big T!” Another chorus from the four of them.

“Guys, it’s not even Christmas yet!”

“Give me one or two days! Patience.” They can all hear Deo’s rolling eyes underneath his sunglasses.

“If you wanted me to have that, you are talking to the wrong fella.”

“That’s okay Tommy, it’ll be worth it. Can confirm.” Wisp hums. “Vouch.”

“Okay. Bitch.”

* * *

Christmas miracles do happen, because a few days later among all the messages in New L’manburg? Four yellow join messages make Tommy jump in joy.

_TimeDeo joined the game._   
_LukeOrSomething joined the game._   
_Bitzel joined the game._   
_Wispexe joined the game._


End file.
